Submarine barrier.



T. I. DIGNEY.

l SUBMARINE BARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I3. 19|?.

Patented July 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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SUBMARINE BARRIER.

APPucATloN man Anais. 1911-.

Patented July 9, 1918.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

THMAS J. DIGNEY, 0F BBDGEIPOBT, CONNECTICUT.

summe/lun BARRIER.

To all whom t may concern:

l 3eit known that I, THOMAS J. DIGNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certainV n ew and useful Improvements inSubmarine Barriers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to submarine mine carrying barriers designed forprotecting harbors, channels, and like bodies of water, and isparticularly adapted for trapping submarine vessels and to form suchentanglements that when engaged by the nose or side of a submarine boatthe latter will be positively prevented from escaping therefrom withoutcontacting with or causing one or more of the mines carried by thebarrier to be brought into engagement with the vessel.

The invention consists of two upright beams or masts weighted at one endand having floats attached to their opposite ends, whereby to hold thebeams or masts in a substantially upright position, and to thesevertically arranged beams or masts are projected horizontal armsorlbooms to which are connected steel nettings, and arranged between thesaid nets and connected thereto and to the upright beams or masts is anet designed to obstruct the passage of a submarine vessel between theirst-men tioned or horizontal nets. Suitable floats are connected to theupper horiz'ontal net at intervals throughout its length so as to holdtheunit in position. The net also carries a plurality of contact minesso that when the unit is engaged by a submarine boat, the upright beamsor masts will be drawn toward each other and thus cause themines tocontact with the sides of the vessel. The

invention further consists in certain novel and peculiar details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fullydescribed and then claimed.

In the drawings, illustrating the invention, in the several figures ofwhich like parts are similarly designated,Figure 1 is a perspective viewof myjimproved barrier. Fig. 2 is a diagrammaticplanyviewofwthe same.Figd'is a similar view illustrating the 4operation of the device. .Fig.Llis a fragmentary plan view of a submarine boat illustrating theAcontact `of a protuberance of a submarine boat with one of the .ele-

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 13, 1517.

Patented July 9, 1918.

serial No. 185,979.

ments of the barrier. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of oneend of the barrier illustrating a slight modification. y

1 designates beams or masts which may be constructed of metal tubing orwood as desired, and throughout the description and claims I shallhereafter refer to these elements as masts. The lower'ends of the mastsare provided with eyes 2 to which are connected cables or chains 3 ofvarying length to hold the barrier atapredetermined distance below thesurface of the water, regulated, of course, by the depth of the channelor waterway in which the barrier is located. The cables or chains 8 havetheir lower ends connected to anchors i of suiiicient weight to preventdragging of the barrier through the influence of tides or currents. Theupper ends of the masts 1 are also provided with eyes 5 to which areconnected chains or cables 6, having their upper ends connected tofloats 7. It may be stated here that the floats are of suihcientbuoyancy to hold the masts in an upright position in still waters7 andthe cables or chains 6 are of such a length as to hold the floats belowthe surface of the water so that the floats will not be detected byhostile surface vessels entering or passing through Vthe protectedharboror channel in which my improvement is installed.

To the masts 1 are connected arms or booms 8, extendingat right anglesfrom the saidV masts, and hence in a substantially horizontal position,and to these arms or booms 8 are connected wire nettings 9, as shownmost clearly in Fig. 1. To the longitudinal edges of the upper nettings9, and to'the center thereof, are connected a plurality of floats` 10which` serve to Ahold the said nets in a horizontal position. Connectedto `the masts 1 and to the upper and lower netsf9 is a wire, net 1.1,which serves to prevent passage through the barrier as will be bestVunderstood from the general description of the device.Vu Extendingoutwardly from the masts 1 are arms 12 having their outer endsterminating in eyes 13 to whicharefconnected cables or chains 14supporting contact mines `15. The arms 12 are braced by stay lines '16extending from suitable points from the arms and connected to theouterends of -thelrbooms 8.

In order to hold the masts a `substantially vertical position and topreventextions from the upper ends of the masts 1 and A Y having theirlower ends connected VVto? an* chOrs lS.

As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, I may provide contact mines 20 atthe of the booms, the said mines 2O being` supported by cables 21: iu almanner similar' as that described with respect to! the mines 15.

' In practice the barriersare, as is custom-v ary with other `devicesfor protecting harbors orcha'nnels, laid transversely ofthe channehand Ipurpose to 'so space myI in-A proved vbarrier so that the Contact minesVl5 will be positioned near enough to each other Vtoprevent the passageof a submarine vessel between them withoutavoiding contacting either oneor thev other of'lthe said mines; This arrangement, of course, is`followedout when 'the barriers are positionedfin alinelne'nt across thechannel. Y j Y I show in Fig. 2, a diagrammatic plan viewof the barrierVwith the prow ,of a submarine boat S approachingthe center' ofl the11et.=-Now as theboat strikes the Wire nettingll it will dragtheanchor-s 4 and 18 so as to draw themasts l toward eachother,

asshown din Fig. 3, thus causing-theniines 15 to engage the sides offthe'boat, it being understood that the nettingl Vwill readily bend andVlend itself'to the position shown in Fig. 3. ln the event of theVemployment of the mines 20,"it will be understood that thev will firststrikeV the sides of theV vessel and,

hence cause its destruction.V VNewY in the event of the Acommander ofthe submariner boat detecting theV obstruction, and`Y attempting todescend or torise'toV avoid the obstruction, the bottom or deck of thebowt ofthe boat, as the case maybe, will strike either the lower orupper netr9, and thereby cause-the masts l' to be drawn toward eachother so asV to permit'one or the `other of the mines 115er 2O to comein Contact withvthe boat. On the other hand, should the commander of thevessel seek to back outand'to' shift his course,eitherto the'rig'ht ortothe left,', the vessel will be Vbrought *into* contact Vwitheitherogtthe' minesl 'or 20. lthisconnection,` V,'[gmiglitsay thatIpinay'pprovide the A ends of the `barrier:` with nets 22,?a's" shown inFig. 5, sofas to obstruct the passage'of the' boat around Vthe 'ends'of" thle""barrierA should the obstruction be.detectedbefore'the :vesselrhas madejsuch .progress as to Vdrag anchors' fsutlciently to4 cause,the` contact way or harbor .be 'of' exf'eptionali i Vthe othertlianshown, may be employed instead ofthe singleinines at the ends ofthe barrier.

In the event of the conning` tower or periscopefof'a submarine boatcoming into contact With either one of the arms or booms 8, it will beappreciated that the arm will be turned., so tospeal, with the mast lacting as a pivot, to thus throw the contact mines 15 or 20 in contactwitlrthe `sides of the boat.V ThisV feature is illustrated in Fig. L ofthedrawings. f r

ffhould-a surface vessel ride .over and Vcontact Vwith the upper net'9-of` the barrier, the central lportion thereof' will be forced.downwardly through: the weight of the vesselto thus cause one or theother ofthecontact Y minesto'st-rike against the side of the lvessel.

In vthis.:connection,r I might 'say that in prac tice I maysupplant someofi'the buoyant floats lO with HeatingV Contact =ini1ies,which areanchored to the net in the same manner by to positively avoid escapeshoulda hostile vessel-come into contact therewith.

i It will be appreciated, thatin the drawings, I'haveillustratedmyapparatus as being installed in a channel'lat ebb tide wherein the1floats and various parts ofthe barrier will assume a substantiallyvertical position,

-and-"ib'will, of '.courser be kunderstood .that

during. the/:flow otfthe ti.dethe floats will naturally' be deflectedfrom the verticalline of their-anchorage. Vployment'of the cables -17 lseek .tomaintai-n the 'masts l in a substantially vertical posi.-

tion, and, least, to prevent such inclinationslthereotzand of the barrieri as to always maintain theinfinf an efective position.' 'Itwill'bel well `understood":that while. I have', described the nets loimybarrieras @be- Fnotfiv'ish myself tobe limitedtofany'spe# ,material orto speci-al construction of henets.' @Limagl Y.

'WVliatIclaim Yis:-- 'f' I 1.V A submarine-barrier,'cemprisingi-iiiasts,

mastsgf-'horizontally disposed netsl connected to the-upper aind loweredgesof' sai-d verti- I cal net, Heats lcarried sbysaidnetsg'andllnrines 2.- fnsetmar1nelearner,@meeting .Vhav-ingfiboonisextending Yth-eretitel-r1 adjacent However, .by the temn Y ing.constructed preferably-of steel, that'y they may- Ybe made ofv rope,chains, or lthe combiimrtioi'of steel,*rope, or chai-ns', and ltherefore'iso Cri

first-mentioned net, floats carried by said upper horizontally arrangednets, and contact mines carried by said barrier.

3. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms extendingtherefrom adjacent to their upper and lower ends, a net connected tosaid masts, nets connected to said booms and to said first-mentioned netwhereby to form a trap, floats connected to said barrier for maintainingthe same in a substantially vertical position, and contact mines carriedby said barrier, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4f. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms extendingtherefrom adjacent to their upper and lower ends, nets connected to saidbooms, a net connected to said masts and to said booms providing a trap,substantially as and for the purpose specified, mines carried by saidbarrier, and anchoring cables connected to said masts.

A submarine barrier, comprising masts, a vertically arranged netconnected to said masts, horizontally disposed nets connected to theupper and lower edges of said vertically arranged net, floats connectedto the upper of said horizontally disposed nets, anchors connected tosaid barrier whereby to maintain it in position, and mines carried bysaid barrier.

6. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms extendingtherefrom adjacent to their upper and lower ends, a net connected tosaid masts, nets connected to said booms and to said first-mentionednet, anchors connected to the lower ends of said masts, floats connectedto the upper ends of said masts, and contact mines carried by saidbarrier.

7. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms extendingtherefrom adjacent to their upper and lower ends, a net connected tosaid masts, nets connected to said booms and to said first-mentioned netwhereby to form a trap, substantially as specified, anchors connected tothe lower ends of said masts, floats connected to the upper ends of saidmasts, whereby, in combination with said anchors, to maintain saidbarrier in a substantially upright position, and contact mines carriedby said barrier.

8. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms extendingtherefrom adjacent to their' upper and lower ends, nets carried by saidmasts and said booms, means for maintaining said barrier in asubstantially upright position, and contact mines carried by saidbarrier.

9. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms adjacent to theirupper and lower ends, anchors connected to the lower ends of said masts,floats connected to the upper ends of said masts, a net connected tosaid masts, nets connected to the upper and lower ends of saidfirst-mentioned net, and mines carried by said barrier.

l0. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having boomsV adjacent totheir upper and lower ends, anchors connected to the lower ends of saidmasts, floats connected to the upper ends of said masts, a net connectedto said masts, nets connected to said booms and to said first-mentionednet, arms eX- tending from said masts, and mines carried by and at theouter ends of said arms.

11. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms adjacent to theirupper and lower ends, anchors connected t0 the lower ends of said masts,floats connected to the upper ends of said masts, a net connected tosaid masts, nets connected to said booms and to said first-mentionednet, arms eX- tending from said masts, mines carried by and at the outerends of said arms, and stay lines connected to the upper ends of saidmasts whereby to hold them in a substantially vertical position,

12. A submarine barrier, comprising masts having booms extendingtherefrom adjacent to their upper and lower ends, anchors connected tothe lower ends of said masts, and floats connected to the upper endsthereof, a net connected to said masts, nets connected to said booms andto the upper and lower ends of said first-mentioned net, floatssupporting the upper one of said second-mentioned nets, mines carried bysaid barrier, and anchor cables connected to the upper ends of saidmasts, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of August,A. D. 1917.

THOMAS J. DIGNEY.

Witnesses:

M. E. HITCHCOCK, M. D. BLONDEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, byaddressing'the Commissioner of IPatents,

Washington, D. C.

